A Blog of Personal Essays and Reflections on Grammar and Writing

Grammar Quiz

Wayne had to admit that Cheryl’s humus was (tastier/more tasty) than his.

The policeman (that/who) gave Merrill and Linda a ticket has been fired.

Chrystia was taken (aback/back) by Ivan’s objection to her score keeping.

Give the book to (whoever/whomever) wants it.

Answers: 1. smarter 2. tastier 3. Both are correct (It is a widely believed myth that the pronoun “that” can never refer to persons. If the person is anonymous, one can use either “that” or “who.”) 4. aback 5. whoever

Spot the errors in the following sentences:

Ursula used to walk Theo everyday.

Saul and Sara could of danced all night.

Bluma’s inability to tell blood from cinnamon, made her an unlikely candidate for medical school.

Saskatchewan has better restaurants than any province in Canada.

If you fear that what you have to say is stupid, use alot of big words.

Answers: 1.Ursula used to walk Theo every day. 2. Saul and Sara could have danced all night. 3. no comma. 4. Saskatchewan has better restaurants than any other province in Canada. 5. …use a lot of big words.

Revise the following sentences to correct misplaced and dangling modifiers:

Walking to the car, my arm was broken in a nasty fall.

Ada found a scarf in the drawer that doesn’t belong to her.

Take a look at the policy that is enclosed with your wife.

Marg greeted the mailman wearing her pyjamas.

We’re looking for someone to house sit and take care of our dog who doesn’t drink.

Answers: 1. Walking to the car, I broke my arm in a nasty fall. 2. Ada found a scarf that doesn’t belong to her in the drawer. 3. Take a look at the enclosed policy with your wife. 4. Wearing her pyjamas, Marg greeted the mailman. 5. We’re looking for someone who doesn’t drink to house sit and take care of our dog.